Neil Gilmore, 18, was behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta which had no speedometer, defective rear brakes and no reverse gear, Newcastle Crown Court heard on Monday.

Carl Langlois, 16, who was a rear-seat passenger in the car, died from head injuries after the car crashed into an empty fuel tanker at a junction in October last year.

Gilmore, of Hepscott Manor, Hepscott, Morpeth, Northumberland, had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier hearing.

On Monday he admitted driving without insurance and without a licence.

'Genuine' remorse

The court heard how Gilmore, was persuaded to take out two other teenagers for a drive and they followed a friend driving a Vauxhall Nova on to an industrial estate in Blyth.

Several times Gilmore stalled the Fiesta he had recently bought from a local man and he had little control of the clutch.

Mr Langlois, who was not wearing a seatbelt, received fatal injuries when the car hit a fuel tanker at a junction.

Judge David Hodson sent Gilmore to a young offenders institution for two years and banned him from driving for three years.

The judge said he accepted Gilmore's "genuine" remorse, adding: "That action of killing a friend will be with you for the rest of your life."